ORSP007.07

Dictionnaire universel d'histoire naturelle. Published between 1840-1849 was a great collaborative effort of some fifty leading, in particular French, scholars, among them Franois Arago, Adolphe Thodore Brongniart, Alexander von Humboldt, Henry Milne-Edwards, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Adrien de Jussieu, and of numerous artists specializing in natural history, engravers, and printers.

Dictionnaire universel d'histoire naturelle.
Published between 1840-1849
Hand-colored Engraving
10" x 6.5" plate size

  • Price: $225.00 { What determines value? }

    Many factors go into pricing a print; rarity, desirability, artist, condition, age, and the history of former sales prices.


    “Weeds & Roses” A good analogy for how the pricing of a print is determined from desirability is my description of "Weeds and Roses". It actually works with a number of publications from Audubons to Atlases. 

    O.K., let's take a complete first edition set of Audubon's Birds of America- 435 Plates, printed by Robert Havell. The Wild Turkey & The Flamingo will be the “Roses”, they are the major plates. These images are usually more desirable making them the most expensive, in upwards of $200,000.

    The Song Birds or "Tweety" birds are the minor plates, or "Weeds". These images are usually less desirable making them less expensive, as low as $2,000.

    However, not everyone prefers roses over weeds. Just because one is more expensive does not mean it is more beautiful to you. Art is a personal preference and you should always go with what stands out to you :)


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